After months of questions and pressure from whistle-blowers , academic reform groups , the public and members of Congress , the NCAA has decided to reopen its investigation into The University of North Carolina over its so-called paper class scandal .

UNC has been under scrutiny since 2011 , when it was revealed that it had hundreds of classes in the Afro-American studies program that required no attendance and just a single paper . The issue received national attention after CNN highlighted literacy problems at UNC . In one CNN report , whistle-blower Mary Willingham said the so-called `` paper classes '' were well known by the athletic support staff as easy classes for athletes who needed to stay eligible , and that the papers were often plagiarized .

Willingham 's job was to help athletes who were n't quite ready academically for the work required at UNC at Chapel Hill , one of the country 's top public universities . She said she learned about the fake classes through her work .

Even though many athletes were enrolled in those paper classes , the NCAA had previously decided the scandal was not an athletic one , and did not sanction the university . That left a lot of unanswered questions and prompted Rep. Tony Cardenas , D-California , to write a letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert demanding answers .

Willingham said she was not interviewed by the NCAA during its first investigation . On Monday , she said the NCAA had lost credibility by not investigating the issue . Now , she said , the NCAA should n't focus on punishment : `` Instead , they should focus on how to use the UNC example to reform the entire system . ''

Several athletes have also said publicly that they were forced to major in Afro-American studies by athletic staff .

For years , and after several internal investigations , UNC said a single professor , Julius Nyang ` oro , knew about the fake classes . Until now , the NCAA stood behind the university on that claim .

Then , earlier this year , after a flurry of national reporting , UNC commissioned yet another investigation , this time by former Homeland Security Secretary Ken Wainstein .

Wainstein has received 1.5 million e-mails and documents , interviewed more than 30 employees , and acquired athlete transcripts going back to the 1980s in his investigation .

While he is not giving updates , he did tell the UNC board at a meeting recently that his team has gotten `` extremely valuable '' information from people who have reached out to help the investigation .

Among those cooperating , he said , is Nyang ` oro .

Nyang ` oro was indicted on a fraud charge in December , but Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said recently that he is considering dropping the charge because Nyang ` oro has been so cooperative .

`` Even though it 's a noncriminal investigation , that is more important than this , '' Woodall said , referring to Wainstein 's review .

`` The money is paid back already , '' Woodall said . `` This was more of an academic scandal than any kind of criminal issue . ... In the criminal probe what we 're left with is one low-level nonviolent felony for a person never in trouble before in his life . ''

UNC said it directed Wainstein to share what he finds with the NCAA , and both UNC and the NCAA said that it was the cooperation from `` additional people '' that prompted the NCAA investigation to be re-opened .

Cardenas ' office has received a response from the NCAA . A spokesman for his office said it is still going through the response .

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UNC is accused of putting athletes in easy Afro-American studies classes

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The classes required no attendance , had one paper assigned

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NCAA originally did not classify the issue as an athletic one